1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to tent apparatus, and more particularly to tent apparatus which can serve multiple functions, such as protecting the interior of the tent from the effects of inclement weather and insects, providing a solar-heated tent even in relatively cold but sunny weather, providing a tent with a large viewing area and converting a tent into a sun-tanning booth, as desired.
2. Description of the Prior Art
For many years tents and various tent-like shelters have been made from canvas, nylon, or some similar material which is normally impervious to the effects of the weather, insects, and the like.
While some such prior art tents employed mesh-like screens over the windows and doors, these were simply used to let in air and prohibit the entry of insects and the like and were normally permanently installed with a canvas or nylon layer attached as a flap over the screen which could be closed to keep out rain and the like.
None of these prior art tents were provided with openings in the roof portion, where the roof openings are screened or adapted to remain open to let in light and air and to provide a view while providing a multi-purpose function such as collecting heat or allowing sun tanning.
A tent-like sleeping bag cover was proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,931,373 by Larson. It was made of a mesh-like screen tent which was situated well over the sleeping bag area to provide a view of the heavens while admitting light and fresh air, but it was actually a screen tent-like structure over a sleeping bag which amounted to no more than a screen tent. There was no canvas or nylon material covering to keep out the elements, and it was therefore only useful on warm nights without inclement weather conditions.
Plastic sheeting was used by C. M. Chiaradonna in U.S. Pat. No. 4,086,674 as a dome for a lawn chair for shielding a person residing in the lawn chair from wind and cold but it's semi-permanently attached and not adapted to be replaced by some other covering. Furthermore, the patent specifically teaches that the plastic is chosen to shield the lounge user from the suns rays and not to serve as a solar heated tent or sun tanning enclosure. Similar patents using plastic to shield an interior from wind and weather include U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,166,832; 3,431,923; 3,670,750; and 4,086,674.
While others devised various solar heating structures such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,244,186 to T. D. Thomason et al; 3,082,780 to H. D. Macy; and 3,812,616, these patents teach only a plastic layer for heating the interior of a tent-like structure or the use of a reflective layer in conjunction with a transmissive layer for maximizing heating effect. None teach a plurality of covers for use dependent on weather conditions, the desires of the user, and the like.
Lastly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,320,744 issued to Eben V. Fodor on Mar. 23, 1982 for a Solar Heated Portable Structure which was formed by flexible walls having a solar radiation transmitting panel so the interior of the structure could be heated by solar radiation and act like a sauna. The transmitting panel can also be transparent to ultraviolet radiation so a person inside the structure can get sun-tanned. Similar steam bath or sauna structures are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 407,434 to Evans; 408,204 to Babbitt; 1,669,484 to Mowry; 1,772,219 to Kempton; 1,946,567 to Braunworth; 2,478,765 to Kim; 2,493,328 to Wandyak; 2,666,441 to Powers; 3,051,185 to Reynolds; 1,128,781 to Kirkham; 3,165,110 to Brooks; 3,271,786 to Joy; 3,453,786 to Rebarechk; 2,483,871 to Wilson; 3,812,616 to Koziol; 3,031,674 to Rand; and 4,161,180 to Tiger.
None of the above patents teach a combination of various interchangeable layers of canvas or nylon material; mesh-like screen material; transparent plastic material; or open air space which can be used in a tent or tent-like structure depending upon weather conditions and the like. Nearly all are single purpose or single function structures and some are not truly tents in the camping sense, but rather enclosures for obtaining a sun tan or the like which would not be suitable for use in any normal type of camping situation.